Conventionally, a standardized protocol has been established for a cardiac examination method by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The standardized protocol stipulates that scout views (an axial slice (an axial view), a sagittal slice (a sagittal view), and a coronal slice (a coronal view)) are acquired before multi-slice images serving as a plurality of axial views are acquired, and a basic slice is then acquired, for example. A basic slice is a section view based on anatomical characteristics of a heart and includes a vertical long-axis view, a horizontal long-axis view, a two-chamber long-axis (2-chamber) view, a three-chamber long-axis (3-chamber) view, a four-chamber long-axis (4-chamber) view, and a left ventricular short-axis view, for example.
To acquire multi-slice views, an imaging range needs to be set, for example. However, it is difficult even for a skilled operator to appropriately set a range covering the whole heart. Difficulty in setting of an imaging range is not limited to setting of an imaging range for multi-slice images and is not limited to the case where a target organ is a heart.